


I'll Be Your Reason

by TooGoodToBeBad



Series: I Don't Think You Want to Stay at All [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: After the Post-Timeskip Battle at Gronder Field (Fire Emblem), But Sylvain is not, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Ingrid is a Golden Deer, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), sad probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26751406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGoodToBeBad/pseuds/TooGoodToBeBad
Summary: "You absolute fucking bastard,” her voice broke as she sat herself in the chair beside him. “This was not how this was supposed to go, Sylvain.”From outside the tent, she could hear the torrent of rain washing away the rivers of blood that ran through Gronder Field. She wondered how much of the blood out there was his.After the Battle at Gronder Field, Ingrid and Sylvain meet again.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: I Don't Think You Want to Stay at All [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948114
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	I'll Be Your Reason

“You absolute bastard.”

The eerie stillness of the night was broken by the harsh and bitter tone of her voice. He didn’t stir. Candlelight flickered weakly against his features while he lay still in the rickety cot. He would have looked peaceful if not for the giant bandage wrapped around his chest peeking out from under the blanket. It seemed that bandage was the only thing keeping his soul from escaping her.

Ingrid choked back a violent sob clawing at her throat before hesitantly closing the distance between them. “You absolute fucking bastard,” her voice broke as she sat herself in the chair beside him. “This was not how this was supposed to go, Sylvain.”

From outside the tent, she could hear the torrent of rain washing away the rivers of blood that ran through Gronder Field. She wondered how much of the blood out there was his. 

In the darkness, it was nearly impossible to see the faint rise and fall of his chest, and the sound of his labored breathing was easily lost in the raging storm outside. She reached out and let her calloused fingertips brush against his hair, violently crimson against the soft white fabric of the pillow.

“I’ve held up my end of the bargain,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, as if she was afraid to wake him. “I gave them hell. I’ll give them hell until I have nothing left to give.”

Her chest tightened at his silence. “They killed Dimitri. And,” she paused, feeling a familiar stinging at the corners of her emerald eyes. “I buried Felix a while ago. You’d be proud of them. Those vicious sons of bitches were a menace until the end. We’re not the ones who killed them, but I don’t think that really matters right now.”

She took his hand, and her fingers tangled themselves in his. “It’s almost funny,” she chuckled mirthlessly. “I wanted to find you once this war was over. We’d see each other again, just like you promised. I'd be a knight, you’d be the Margrave, and Felix would be the Duke. We weren’t supposed to meet here. What the fuck were you even doing here, Sylvain? You could have carved your own path. You could have walked with me.”

She wasn’t expecting an answer. She didn’t get one.

“It’s almost straight out of a book, this whole thing; two lifelong friends on the opposite sides of war, brought together in a chance reunion. It’s the kind of story I’d have gushed over with Ashe all those years ago. But I killed him back in Ailell. I dealt the mercy blow, just so I wouldn’t have to watch him suffer.”

Her thumb rubbed tiny circles against the back of his hand as a void of nothingness gnawed at her bones and sent an ache deep into her soul. “They’re all gone, and I’m all alone now, Sylvain,” she breathed, the weight of her words pressing against her shoulders like lead. “You can’t leave yet. I don’t know what I’d do if you did.”

His hand slipped out of hers, and the feeling of her fingers brushing against his sent ice through her veins. “I can feel you drifting away into nothing,” her voice sounded so small, so pathetic to her ears. “You’re slipping through my hands again, and I can’t keep you.”

Listlessly, his hand dropped back down to his side. The sound of his breathing was still faint, almost imperceptible. “I don’t think you want to stay at all,” a pitiful sob ripped itself from her throat. “And I can’t blame you. There’s nothing left for you here. But please, if you need a reason to fight, to come back, I’ll be your reason. Please let me be your reason.”

With a defeated sigh, she rose from her chair. “I’ve tried so desperately to find my place in this world that I’ve lost it in yours,” she muttered as she began to pace back and forth. Each step by his side sent her heart sinking further into nothingness. The emptiness within her fought back against the confines of her skin, threatening to consume her whole. Around her, the world seemed to spiral. In an effort to steady herself, she sat back down in the chair, her knuckles turning stark white as they gripped the armrests in a desperate effort to regain control, to hold on to something. Still, the tears didn’t come. 

“I love you, you know,” she whispered, hoping the weight of her words would be enough to keep him grounded. “You didn’t let me say it back then, but I wish I did. Maybe you wouldn’t have let me go, and I would’ve died with you guys.”

Everything still seemed to spin around her, and her head lolled forward as if it was too heavy for her neck. With a soft thud, her forehead collided with his chest. His scent invaded her senses, and she finally began to cry. 

“People like us, we’re the reason they write stories so sad,” she whimpered into the blanket on top of him. “I loved you, Sylvain, and I hope you knew that. I still love you; I hope I’ll get to tell you myself.”

She lifted her face from his chest, pointedly avoiding the dark stains where her tears had landed. “I’m so empty right now,” she choked. “And it’s what hurts the most.”

His silence was deafening, threatening to crush her whole. She nearly caved under the pressure. With trembling fingers and a quiver in her voice, she rose from the chair. She pressed her lips to his forehead, stealing what little warmth she could from him.

As she pulled away, her knees nearly buckled underneath her, and she spared him one last look before turning on her heel. “Please, come back to me,” she breathed before stepping out of the tent.

She didn’t see the way his eyes fluttered open.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback and comments are welcome!
> 
> So this was a challenge to write, since the conversation is so one-sided (for obvious reasons). All my fluff energy and good vibes for these two are currently tied up elsewhere but I don't intend to make a habit of writing sad stuff, because that's sad. Still, it's always good to challenge yourself.
> 
> I hope you guys liked it!


End file.
